LEADING AT THE EDGE OF CHAOS:
HOW TO CREATE THE NIMBLE ORGANIZATION
by Daryl R. Conner

"Gone are the days when innovations and new ventures were incremental in
scope and sequential in nature. In their place is 'perpetual unrest,' unending
fundamental changes... " - Daryl Conner

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"If your organization is facing any anticipated chaotic event in the next six
months-and who isn't - you should read Daryl Conner. His tough-minded definitions
of winners vs. losers will make you think twice." - Craig E. Weatherup, Chairman
and CEO, The Pepsi-Cola Company

"Conner's new book is thoroughly original and useful on the mastery of
leading change." - Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business
Administration, University of Southern California, and author of Organizing Genius.

"Daryl Conner has done it again! The leading authority on managing change
has given us what we need right now. Leading at the Edge of Chaos offers
prescriptive advice for leading in today's world, where the tempo and thrust of
change has escalated. A must read for anyone who is stiff breathing and leading." -
Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager (r).

"Delightful and thought-provoking ... [links] deep organizational research with
useable 'real world' advice... I would recommend this book to others -- senior line
leaders and their management teams." - Kenneth Schwenke, Senior Vice President,
Human Resources, ARAMARK Corporation.

"In the new reality in which the human need for control is continuously
assaulted by escalating change, Daryl Conner provides [organization leaders] ... steps
to take ... in clear language and vivid images, with psychological insight and
knowledge born out of broad hands-on experience." - Judy Bardwick, author of In
Praise of Good Business and Danger in the Comfort Zone.

"Every executive who is leading constant change in their organizations should
read this book." - Don Beattie, Chief Executive, Personnel, The BOC Group (U.K.)

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"In his 1993 classic, Managing at the Speed of Change, Daryl Conner showed
managers how to implement business innovations on time and under budget. In this
groundbreaking new book, he shows them how to ride the whirlwind.

"The tempo of change has sped up to a dizzying pace over the past few years.
Globalization, rapid-fire technological innovation, and mounting pressure for
shareholder value have pushed the markets into a state of ceaseless turmoil. What
was cutting-edge change management theory just five years ago now seems naive.
Success amidst such a maelstrom of change calls for much more than what change
management models have to offer. It calls for a radically new kind of organization,
nimble enough to adapt instantly to changing market conditions, and piloted by
leaders versed in the art of Leading at the Edge of Chaos.

"This book is not about decision making; it is about execution. It is not about
predicting change; it is about adapting to it at a moment's notice. Internationally
renowned "Change Doctor" Daryl Conner defines the new roles that all leaders must
assume in order to direct the changes that are crucial to their organizations'
survival. He schools them in all of the essential components of the change process.
And, most importantly, he arms them with action steps for instilling their
companies with the nimbleness and resilience needed to survive and thrive in
today's super-volatile markets.

"Conner also introduces the revolutionary concept of human due diligence -
the human equivalent of financial due diligence and an indispensable toot for
orchestrating major enterprise-wide transitions. Strategic, results-oriented, and
proactive, human due diligence focuses on people's capacity to absorb change as a
limited resource, and offers tools for ensuring that there is sufficient capacity
available to face the next challenge-and the many others sure to follow,"

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CONTENTS
PART ONE THE NIMBLE CHALLENGE
1. Execution, Execution, Execution
2. Confronting the Challenge of Change

PART TWO THE CONTAINED SLIDE - CREATING THE NIMBLE
ORGANIZATION
3. The Constant Quest
4. Working in the Nimble Zone
5. Powering Up for the New Game

PART THREE HUMAN DUE DILIGENCE
6. The Human Side of Change
7. Andy's Decision and Yours
8. Capacity versus Demand

PART FOUR NIMBLE LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
9. Strategic Oversight
10. Change Leadership Styles
11. Leadership's Personal Resilience
12. Optimizing Paradigm Life Spans

PART FIVE FINE-TUNING THE NIMBLE ORGANIZATION
13. Conditioning for Constant Turbulence
14. Expanding Change Knowledge
15. Genuine Delegation and Empowerment
16. The Value of Structured Flexibility
17. Ensuring Effective Implementation

PART SIX THE DESTINATION IS THE JOURNEY
18. Mastering the Leadership Role
19. Where from Here?

APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: THE ORIGINS OF THE INVESTIGATION
APPENDIX B: THE MECHANICS OF THE ADAPTATION REFLEX
APPENDIX C: THE PEOPLE SIDE OF REALIGNMENT INITIATIVES
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT ODR
INDEX


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

"DARYL R. CONNER is President and CEO of ODR, Inc., a research-based
consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in helping organizations
prepare for and implement major change initiatives. As a consultant, executive, and
lifelong researcher on the psychology of change, Mr. Conner has, over the past
twenty years, devoted himself to understanding the ways in which people and
organizations respond to change. He is the author of the international bestseller
Managing at the Speed of Change, and he and his ideas have been extensively
covered in both professional journals and the popular press, including the New York
Times and Business Week."

1998, 352 pages. Order #DR373, $27.00.

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Brookfield, CT 06804-3104 USA

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Telephone: 203.740.7444; 888.768.4783

Fax: 203.740.7401

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